Joshua Clayton

Energy Informatics

Energy Informatics is an animated visualization of one year of building power consumption.

The city breathes information and consumes energy. Visualizing this relationship enhances interaction with the urban environment and is the goal of this project. Developed in collaboration with the Sustainability Task Force, Energy Informatics displays patterns of energy consumption across a selection of NYU residence halls.

BackgroundThe challenge is getting access to this information, often residing behind walls of bureaucracy. The problem is not that it doesn’t exist, but that we’re moving toward a level of openness that can make larger institutions uncomfortable. Some, however, have embraced this opportunity for greater transparency and are seeking ways to make data available. NYU has demonstrated initiative with its Energy Monitoring Portal.

Conclusion
What if we could combine urban landscape photography with a network of sensor data on a systemic level to make information available to people at any time? This project is a starting point for such exploration.